UFC 155's Costa Philippou: 'I'm not even close to challenging Anderson Silva'

He’ll also have a win while filling in for teammate Chris Weidman – who had been widely mentioned as a possible next contender for middleweight champion Anderson Silva.

But ask Philippou if he’s ready to start asking for a title shot if he wins at UFC 155, and he’ll give a perhaps refreshingly honest response.

“I’m always overlooked, and I don’t mind,” Philippou on Thursday told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio). “But we’re arguing about who’s going to step up and fight Anderson Silva. Why would anyone want to do that? There’s more than enough fighters for everybody. Let him fight everybody else first, and I’m good. I have a long way to go. I learn as I go and I’m pretty new in the sport.”

Philippou (11-2 MMA, 4-1 UFC) meets Boetsch (16-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) on the main card of UFC 155, which takes place Saturday at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The Philippou-Boetsch fight is one of three middleweight bouts on the pay-per-view portion of the card, which follows prelims on FX and Facebook.

Philippou’s four-fight streak includes three decisions and a first-round knockout of Jared Hamman. But he doesn’t believe even a win over Boetsch, who has a four-fight streak of his own, would prepare him to fight for the title.

“I know that I’m not even close to challenging Anderson Silva,” he said. “He’s been in the sport way longer than me. (Other guys) have been in the sport way longer than me. Obviously if I get a chance tomorrow, obviously I’m going to say yes. But I’m not going to argue and say, ‘I’ve won four fights in a row, so I should.’ You keep winning, and if you beat everybody else, you’ll be the obvious choice. I shouldn’t have to argue with who is the No. 1 contender.”

Of course, Weidman, his teammate at the Serra-Longo camp on Long Island, was vocal about believing he should be next in line to fight Silva after his knockout of Mark Munoz over the summer.

And Philippou is OK with that.

“Chris has a point,” he said. “You beat names, and have five wins in a row. He knocked some people out, he submitted some people. It was his chance to finish Tim Boetsch and try to get a shot for the title. It didn’t happen for him now. But even if I knock Tim Boetsch out, I don’t really care. I’ll go back to the gym and when Joe (Silva) or Dana (White) calls, it won’t matter if (the opponent is) No. 2 or 22. Any UFC fighter is dangerous and will be a challenge.”

Oddsmakers have the Philippou-Boetsch fight pretty much dead even. It’s a fight Philippou took on short notice, though not as short of notice as other fights early in his UFC career. He was scheduled to meet Nick Ring at UFC 154, but Ring fell ill on fight day and was pulled from the card.

But that misfortune may have worked out for the best.

Everything happens for a reason,” Philippou said. “The guy got sick, and it could happen to anyone. It worked out. There’s always a need for replacement fighters. Unfortunately, this time I had to replace (a teammate), but I’m fighting on one of the biggest cards of the year and a way higher profile fight than Nick Ring.”

It’s the kind of win that certainly could elevate his status. Just don’t ask him to predict where he’ll fall in the title picture if he comes out on top.

“If it happens I get to fight for the title and become a champion one day, great,” he said. “But if not, it’s not going to be the end of the world for me.”

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